ABSTRACT:This paper uses archival documents and records
released by the Department of Energy, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and
the Central Intelligence Agency under the Freedom of Information Act to examine
anthropologist Earle Reynolds’ transition from working as an applied
anthropologist examining the survivors of America’s atomic bombing of Hiroshima
and Nagasaki, to a devoted activist risking his life opposing America’s
development of the Hydrogen Bomb.Reynolds’ research changed his political orientation and led him to
protest the development of weapons of mass destruction.As Reynolds obstructed nuclear weapons tests
and spoke out in public settings on the dangers of these weapons, the FBI and
other intelligence agencies increased their surveillance of him, and these
agencies actively hindered his work.While many elements of Reynolds’ life were extraordinary, the basic
problems he faced in trying to reconcile the interests of his employer and the
population he studied were similar to many of the essential dilemmas faced by
all of us working as applied anthropologists.